Pea thresher



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

- J. F. RHODES.

PEA THRESHER.

No. 570,209. I Patented Oct. 27, 1896.

al ke mm NITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

PEA-TH RES H ER.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 570,209, dated October 27, 1896. Application filed November 20, 1895. Serial No. 569,582. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN FRANKLIN RHODES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Athens, in the county of Clarke and State of Georgia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pea-Threshers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in combined bean or pea threshers and separators; and it consists, substantially, in such features of construction, arrangement, and combinations of parts as will hereinafter be more particularly described.

While my present invention is applicable to this class of devices generally, it is intended more particularly as animprovenient upon the combined pea thresher and separator for which Letters Patent were issued to me on the 3d day of July, 1894, and numbered 522,493. In the former Letters Patent referred to the threshing or separation of the peas from the hulls and chaff was performed by means of a shaking or vibrating screen and a fan or blower; but with such device or machine it has been found extremely difficult to provide for the separation of beans or peas A further object is to provide ready means for adjusting the size of the openings of the screening or separating bed, whereby the machine is adapted to the threshing of beans or peas of varying sizes, substantially as will hereinafter appear when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 represents a side elevation of a pea threshing and separating machine constructed and arranged in accordance with my invention, part of the framework of the machine being broken away to disclose the arrangement of the traveling separating-bed, as well as other parts. Fig. 2 is a detail view representing the form of adjusting devices employed herein for lengthening or shortening the traveling separating-bed, and Fig. 3

is a view in detail representing a modification in such adjusting devices. Fig. 4 is a plan view in detaiL' Fig. 5 is a detail view in sectionrepresenting a modification in the means for adjusting the slats on the belts or bands.

While my invention is capable of a great many different embodiments in practice, I prefer to use substantially the form thereof such as I have herein indicated, and wherein 1 designates the framework of the machine, and 2 2 the vertical supporting-posts thereof, which latter may, if desired, be braced in position, and the construction of course could be made to conform to any preferred selection in use.

As before stated, it is the main purpose of my invention to provide means whereby the traveling bed or screen over which the threshed material passes may be adjusted to alter or vary the size of the openings or passages therein through which the threshed or separated beans or peas are caused to pass into the lower part of the machine, where they may be run off into any suitable collector provided for the purpose. While this main part of my invention could be carried into effect in a great many different ways, I prefer in practice to employ a traveling separating-bed supported in an inclined position inside of the framework of the machine, and which is comprised of a number of narrow endless bands 5, which are preferably of a material having a certain degree of elasticity,

. and which belts are separated for a suitable distanceand held in their relative position by means of slats 6, arranged transversely of said belts and united thereto by means of small rivets 7 or other suitable fastening devices. The said sla-ts may be arranged at any suitable distance apart, but preferably they are arranged at such a distance apart that when the endless bands are in a relaxed or unstretched condition the spaces between the slats will be sufficient to enable the smallest-sized peas or beans to fall through. The number of endless bands 5 may of course be varied, and, as will be observed, the endless traveling separator-bed 8 thus constructed is supported in position by rollers 9 and 9, arranged a suitable distance apart and maintaining the traveling bed in the desired po sition within the framework of the machine. In order that the said traveling separatingbed may be adjusted so as to increase the size of the openings formed therein by the endless bands 5 and the transverse slats 6, it is essential that some means be employed to distend orstreteh the bands and to hold them in such distended condition until it is desirable to either lengthen them still further or to shorten the same. lVhile many devices could be employed for this purpose, I prefer to support the roller 9 in slotted bearings 10 and to provide such roller with means for moving the same outwardly in its bearings and to hold the same in whatever position to which it may be brought. As shown herein, an ordinary belt-tightener is employed, such, for instance, as indicated in Fig. 1, wherein it will be seen that one end of the shaft of the roller 9 is provided with a removable or detachable arm let, comprising a stem 15 and block 16, and securedto the forward end of the casing is an angle-block 17 having a projection 18, which passes through a slot 19 in an angular bracket 20, having at its upper end a notch ll and at near its lower end an opening 22. The said angle-bracket is thus movably supported upon the projection 18, which passes through the slot 19 of the bracket in such man ner as that when the lower portion of the bracket is forced inwardly the upper portion thereof is carried outwardly, and therefore when the bracket is operated upon, it is evident that by reason of the stem 15 entering the notch 21 of the upper part of the bracket the shaft of the roller 9 will be forced outward in its slotted bearings 10, and in this way will the narrow endless bands 5 be stretched or distended and the spaces between the transverse slats thereof be correspondingly increased in size.

Some means must be employed for throwing outward the upper end of the angular bracket as herein employed, and while many dilferent devices could be resorted to I prefer the employment of a screw-rod 25, passing diagonally upward through a portion of the framework of the machine, and the outer end of this screw-rod passes through the opening 22 in the lower part of the bracket, and a thumb or butterfly nut is screwed upon the outer end of the rod to bear upon the lower part of the bracket in the manner shown. It is evident that by screwing down the butterfly or thumb nut 27 the bracket will be tilted upon its fulcrum and the bands stretched or distended in the manner already explained; but whenever it is desired to relax the tension upon the bands, so as to bring the slats closer together, it is simply necessary to unscrew the said nut 27 to the desired extent, whereupon the mere force exerted by the relaxation of such bands will carry the movable roller inward upon its bearings until a sufficiently strong purchase has been obtained for the lower part of the angular bracket against the under side of the thumb-nut. It is obvious that instead of mounting the angular bracket 20 in the manner shown in Fig. 1 and indicated in detail in Fig. 2 the said bracket may be simply pivoted in position, as is shown in the modification in Fig. 3, and either the same form of adjusting devices employed or such other form as may best suit the convenience of parties using the machine, it being the intention herein to cover, broadly, any means by which the endless traveling bed may be operated in the manner set forth.

As another means of adjusting the distance between the strips or slats, so as to enable different-sized beans or peas to be separated, reference is made to the detail shown in Fig. 5. In this construction I slot the several bands at 7 5 correspondingly and for suitable distances apart and the slats or strips are laid down in place, say quarter of an inch apart, and are tightened up by means of bolts 76 passing through the slats and the slots and secured by means of nuts or equivalent fastening devices 77. 111 this way it is simply necessary to loosen the fastenings for the slats and move the latter closer together or farther apart and then tight-en them up again. The main objection to this construction, however, is that the adjustment of one slat requires a corresponding adjustment of all, but I have found the same to answer very well under some conditions.

Referring now more particularly to the re maining parts which go to make up the complete machine, I would state that such arrangement is substantially the same as is employed in my former Letters Patent referred to.

50 represents an ordinary feed -hopper, which delivers the peas or other material to be threshed into what is ordinarily termed a concave breast 51, having for the greater part of its inner surface a number of irregularly-arranged pins or pegs 52. Operating within this concaved breast is the threshing cylinder or drum 53, similarly provided throughout its circumference with corresponding projecting pins or pegs 54,the arrangement of the pegs on the cylinder and those in the breast being such as to permit the cylinder to rotate. The end of the said threshing cylinder or drum carries a small pinion 55, which meshes with the teeth of an enlarged drive-wheel 56, the latter having its bearings on the framework of the machine and provided with an operatingcrank to be operated by hand, or else the same may have a pulley and belt to connect the machine with any source of driving power. The said driving-wheel also engages with the teeth of a small pinion 60, carried by the fan or blower shaft 01, which shaft is provided with a number of blades 62, which are operated to revolve or rotate within the drum (33 at the lower part of the machine, such drum being provided at the sides with openings 64, through which the air is drawn in. It will be noted that the concaved breast has projecting therefrom a delivery-board 70, which feeds the threshed material onto the traveling separating-bed, and as the drivingwheel is operated the threshing drum or cyl- .inder, as well as the fan or blower, is operated simultaneously therewith. It will be further noted that the lower part of the machine is provided With an opening 7 5, for the escape of the threshed or separated peasor beans which fall through the openings between the endless bands and transverse slats, and it is of course understood that the airblast is caused to sweep up through the traveling separating-bed in such manner as to blow or force all loose dirt or chaff out through the opening at the forward end of the machine.

From the foregoing description it will be understood that as the peas or beans are supplied to the breast their hulls o'r pods are broken by the action of the rotating threshing-cylinder, and the loose peas or beans, together with their broken hulls or pods, are caused to be delivered upon the upper or top surface of the forwardly-traveling separating-bed; and as the bed moves forward the loosened peas or beans will fall through the spaces in the bed of their own gravity, while the pods or hulls will be carried out through the opening 80 at the forward end of the machine by the action of the traveling bed as the latter moves along. Simultaneous with these operations a blast of air is forced by the blower of the fan up through the openings of the traveling separating-bed in such manner that all the loose chaff and small particles of dirt will also be carried out of the said opening 80. The casing of the machine may be constructed in any preferable manner, and likewise any desirable change may be made in the driving mechanism, it being understood, as hereinbefore stated, that my invention is intended to cover, broadly, in athreshing or separating machine, the use of a number of separated traveling bands of stretchable or elastic material combined with a number of transverse strips or slats, and means for stretching such bands to any desired extent, as hereinbefore fully explained. I have found in practice that my improved machine can Very readily be converted into a rapid and effective grain-cleaner by dividing the opening 80 at the forward end of the machine bya board, so as to practically form two openings instead of one, that is, an upper and lower opening, and then by fitting to the upper opening any suitable feed-hopper grain or similar material can be passed into the same and fall onto the traveling bed and be subjected to a blast of air without the grain in any manner reaching the threshing devices. The machine when so used will permit the grain to gravitate below, while the dustand dirt will be carried out of the opening 80 as before.

lVithout limiting myself to the precise construction and arrangement herein shown and described, I claim 1. The combination in a threshing or separating machine of a traveling separating-bed comprising elastic bands arranged relatively apart, and slats or strips joined transversely to said bands, and arranged relatively apart, means for operating the bed, and means for distending or stretching the band's, substantially as shown and for the purposes described.

2. The combination in a threshing or sepa- .provided with movable bearings, means for adjusting said bearings out or in and holding the same to the adjusted position, and means for operating the said traveling bed, substantially as described.

4. The combination in a threshing or separating machine of a traveling separating-bed,

comprising elastic or stretchable bands ar-.

ranged relatively apart, and slats or strips joined transversely to said bands, and means for distending said bands, substantially as shown and for the purposes described.

5. The combination in a threshing-machine, of a traveling separating-bed comprising elastic bands arranged relatively apart, and slats or strips joined to said bands transversely, and also arranged relatively apart, means for distending or relaxing said bands, and a fan or blower forcing a current of air upward through the said traveling bed, substantially as and for the purposes described.

6. The combination in a threshing or separating machine of a traveling separating-bed, comprising elastic bands arranged relatively apart, and slats arranged transversely to said bands, and also relatively apart, rollers for carrying the bands, a slotted bearing for one of said rollers, and means for tightening or relaxing the bands, the same comprising an arm on the shaft of the movable roller, a bracket having a movable fulcrum and loosely engaging said arm, and a screw and nut for the adjusting said nut on'its fulcrum, substantially as shown and for the purposes described.

'7. The combination in a threshing or separating machine, of a traveling bed comprising elastic bands arranged relatively apart,

the frame of the machine, and a nut for adjusting the bracket on its fulcrum, substantially as shown and for the purposes described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN FRANKLIN RHODES.

\Vitnesses:

E. E. KENNEY, HARRY A. GRANT. 

